Emilie Burrer Foster​

Emilie Burrer Foster was one of the greatest tennis players in Texas history at Trinity University and as a professional player. She went on to also become a storied coach for multiple college programs.​

Foster was elite even in high school. In 1965, she was the Texas High School Singles Champion and was named the Texas Tennis Player of the Year, of which she was the first female recipient. She first attended Lubbock Christian University, where she reached the semifinals in national collegiate doubles. After transferring to Trinity University in 1967, Foster became a national powerhouse. She is the only player ever to win back-to-back singles and doubles championships, which she did in 1968 and 1969. She also led the Tigers to national team titles in both years. In 1969, she made the U.S. Open Singles Round of 16 and was a quarterfinalist in Doubles. ​

In 1970, Foster became a graduate assistant for the Arizona State University tennis team before taking a job as coach of Texas Tech University’s club team. In her eight years with the Red Raiders, she turned the team from club to varsity status. In 1978, she returned to her alma mater to become coach at Trinity University. During her tenure, she coached the women’s tennis team to the NCAA Division I finals twice, third in the nation three times, and top five finishes three times. She was the NCAA DI Coach of the Year in tennis in 1983 and coached 12 NCAA DI tennis All-Americans and one NCAA DI national champion doubles team. She coached the Tigers to a 259-94 record. Since leaving competitive tennis, she has been inducted into the Lubbock Christian Hall of Honor, the National Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, the Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Texas Tennis Museum Hall of Fame and the SAISD Sports Hall of Fame.​